Bose - SoundLink Flex (1st Gen)

Wondering now if your stance still applies? I have the Bose Flex and the Bose Portable Smart Speaker (successor to the revolve+ II 360 w.e.?) I hardly use the smart speaker and it always has connection issues or drained battery. Usually keep it plugged in to avoid that. The flex has been good for my needs. Looking at getting the Sound Link Max to replace the Smart Speaker. Any thoughts? 

Thanks for pointing out this has no Wi-Fi. I didn’t really look too much into this yet, but this is a big bummer as I thought it was the new home portable. I really feel like they don’t know what the hell they’re doing at Bose anymore. We’re going to call something a home speaker and not give it Wi-Fi only Bluetooth? I mean, wouldn’t I just get a Bose flex?

Yeah, at least make it work with airplay and Google casting. I don’t know that we need Bose to have Pandora in the app like a Sonos type thing. Just having airplay and casting would’ve been, I think good enough! This just blows my mind I could have two flexes for way less money And have better battery life.

Yeah, wondering the same about the Roam being over Flex. I have 2 Flex’s, no Roams.

Bose flex is sooo good

I also owned both and returned the X600 after using both for 30 days indoor and outdoor. My EARS and those of my guests are the basis. X600 needs tweaking when genre changes - not consistent in SQ. No need to tweak on the sound link, sounds great at all volumes

Bose for sound, undisputed champion in the small size. The Klipsch Nashville also has lots recommending its sound is on par with the Bose - have not heard myself. Marshall for cool factor. JBL if you want the heaviest bass. In a perfect world the Bose sound with the Marshall look! Any of the three are solid choices. Nobody in their right mind would recommend the earfun unless you read the comment section on reddit….lots of paid ad posters with links here.

Undisputed by who? Most ppl never heard of minirig, and they are unreliable. EVERYBODY knows the Bose ROCKS at its pricepoint/size.

I have $20k sound system so Bluetooth speakers are toys. I prefer headphones on the go. But if I want to watch a movie or music outside on the dinner table, I'll go for something nimble like the WonderBoom 4 or Emberton 2. In one room inside the house, I have an Acton 3 that destroys anything in it's realm. In my wife's office I have a Bose Flex for her YouTube vids. When on it's back, the EQ really opens it up! Otherwise it's returnable in my eyes. I also have a Soundcore x600 when I want heavier sound outside. I have neighbors so it live in the 50% volume of below. M Since it has great bass in this volume range, is very satisfying. If you can tell from my selections, I need an "clear open" sound that doesn't have louder bass driving out the higher and mids... Which is the trickery many these Bluetooth toys try to fool you in. With my selections above (I've tried many!), I can tolerate the BT sound. But since I have a plenthora of Ferrari audiophile speakers, it's difficult to go back to a junker. I have to truck my mind into submission. LOL.

Bose Max for $225 (taking advantage of the tricks), two Bose Flex for under $200, or two Klipsch Nashvilles for $200 on Amazon. I'd go with 2 Nashvilles. I own all of these after trying over 30 BT speakers

The magic happens when you get 2 Flex's linked in stereo mode. The fullness really jumps out BEYOND what you would expect from adding a 2nd speaker.

Highly unlikely as the Max was released rather recently. If the more popular Flex is an example, you'll have to wait many, many years. As for 2 Flex's, it sounds better than 1 Max. There's a video of this on YT. https://youtu.be/z9WRoB3TIGM?si=e-4BqjwzeFLWYtn2 The stereo effect kicks in from spreading the sheets out and it's more room filling.

Black Friday is around the corner so BETTER speakers than the Sony will be on sale. I've tried and compared EVERY speaker mentioned thus far in this thread. The problem with the Sony is that it has veiled mids. which is UNFIXABLE with the app's EQ. So it's not the clearest most open sounding speaker in its tier for older ears (good bass though). Plus, it's fugly for the interior. For clarity and open soundedness, long battery, and classier "home aesthetics" at around the price you seek (\~$100), I'd recommend either the Marshall Emberton 2 ($100 or cheaper for BF) or Klipsch Nashville ($119 or cheaper for BF). Between the two, the Klipsch is a little fuller sounding due to its slightly bigger size and also has more features, like a mic and ability to pair two units in stereo, and a better EQ in its app than the Marshall. Any mother would be fine with either. Both get loud enough (SAME sound front & back end) and CLEAR enough for older ears. Lastly, you can stand them on its end for a smaller footprint on a kitchen or dining table....something you can't do with boomboxes or the Bose Flex which is paperback shaped. It's INVALUBLE to have the SMALLEST footprint on a crowded table! [https://youtu.be/ykwgesgYo5M?si=4npjoWQSdsQLNG86](https://youtu.be/ykwgesgYo5M?si=4npjoWQSdsQLNG86)

Ya. That silicone really attracts dust and hair at the first second on the black color. This is the same as the Flex. It's best to have a different color to hide that better.

I have so of them minus the Beats Pill. The overwhelming consensus on this one is that if you stay within the 50% volume range, it'll sound great but as you go up in volume the sound starts to break and sound terrible. From the others, the best is the Bose Flex. The sound is more "closed" standing up, but it's beauty is that its EQ changes completely when on its back (position #2). The speaker opens up and the highs come out. It sounds great! So much so that it actually sounds like a real speaker. It's sound never breaks up at any volume and has enough low end to be satisfying (movies or music) and It just sounds"right". It's BT lag is the best in the business so you will have voices sync when watching videos. It's also hard a great mic for calls. And I can't believe it's from Bose because I can't stand the brand! The JBL Flip and Sony don't sound "right". The Sony may be louder and bassier but even with its EQ, the sound never sounds right. The mids and highs always sound like a blanket has been put over it. The Flip may sound more right than the Sony but sounds hollow in the middle when you put it up against the Bose's balance. Just remember that the Bose sounds great on it's belly, but standing up, sounds closed like the Sony. The Bose goes on sale constantly so try to catch it at $109 or even better come Black Friday. I grabbed the Filp and Sony for $99 but again didn't compete against the openness and balance of the Bose!

The very highly rated Marshall Acton 3 is the most balanced. I got it at for $179 Target clearance last week. It absolutely destroyed everything I had! (Soundcore x600, Bose Flex, Flip 6, Charge 5, Sony ULT Field 1, W-King 10). The bass is strong, right, deep, and the mids/highs doing get drowned out with volume. It's loud and even balanced across its volume range. This IS a speaker. The rest are toys that peter out with more volume

Highs and mids definitely sound as if a cloth is on it, regardless of the EQ. The Charge 5 is a more "right" sounding speaker. And in this category, I'd put the Bose Flex over both. Sounds good at any volume and holds its bass without muddling the highs. You have to put the Bose on its back though for the EQ change. Having it stand upright, takes it a step down in clarity.

Knife sharpener is a game changer! I also bring my own coffee and I have a travel Aeropress. Generally, I also carry my Bose Flex speaker so I can have music in whatever room I’m in. It also doesn’t hurt to bring some laundry detergent pods if the place has a washer.

Bose Flex. Unless we are talking purely bass loudness. Bose flex bass is not very loud but it is enough for the size and application. Bose has the best sound quality in my opinion.

May I suggest a stereo setup. Two bose soundlink flex or one flex paired with one revolve plus 2. Sounds heavenly. The later option is amazing to experience. Flex has good bass and miss, revolve spreads sound in all directions. Both paired together in stereo mode produces not just powerful sound but quality sound as well.

I totally agree. I got one of these Bose SoundLink Flex Bluetooth Portable Speakers. I loved it so much I bought another, just so I don't have to carry it between rooms. You won't regret this one.. It's not super HiFi, but it's perfect for background listening. Eg. Bose SoundLink Flex Bluetooth Portable Speaker, Wireless Waterproof Speaker for Outdoor Travel - Black https://amzn.asia/d/6gPiFR3

No, you have no idea what you're talking about. The Bose Flex has a standby battery drain issue. It'll eat 30% a week

I've both. imho flex does sound better.

I think you know which one has the most bass 😉 1. JBL Boombox 3 2. Bose Portable Smart Speaker 3. Ultimate Ears Epicboom 4. Ultimate Ears Megaboom 5. Sonos Roam 6. Bose Soundlink Flex 7. Sony SRS-XB12

Max is debated because the increase in price is not proportional to increase in performance. The soundlink flex is more affordable and sounds great and hits a sweet spot. The max is still a better speaker for most people, but it’s hard for performance to scale linearly after a certain point.

I agree with the other replies that two speakers are better than one. It depends on how big you are willing to carry around. My favorite that I've settled on is the Soundcore Boom 2. Although it is slightly larger than my idea size for a portable speaker, the handle makes it easy to move around. In my opinion it is just about the perfect balance of size, clarity, and bass for a portable speaker. It has great sound and great bass (even outside). It just won't fit in a small spot. For a smaller speaker, I would recommend the Earfun Uboom L or the Soundcore Motion 300 or the Bose Soundlink Flex. Again, a pair of these in stereo will get the best most room filling sound. All of these are small and easy to carry and easy to place anywhere. If you just want one speaker, I would recommend the Tribit Stormbox Blast or the Earfun Uboom X. They both sound great, with full sound, clarity, and deep bass. But they are huge! Probably not easily carried from room to room, but that that is your decision to make. The Soundcore Boom 2 would be good as a single speaker too, with a smaller size, but it won't sound quite as good as these other two.

Budget speakers might get really loud but the expensive ones offer better quality and balance. If you plan using your speaker strictly for outdoor, go with a cheap one. For indoors premium ones are better. I'm currently using a Sony ult field 1. Bose soundlink flex is a great choice too. But it's sound is little less compared to sony. Simple rule(applies to most speakers) Under 5k - outdoor speakers. 5k -10- mix use. 10-20k- indoor. >20k depends on model.

The Bose Flex does have clean not bass boosted sound. I have heard the Marshall Emberton III is a good one too..I just have not heard it myself. I did see that Best Buy does have a demo model currently. You used to have to order Marshall speakers from the warehouse.

The Bose Flex seems to have the best broad spectrum sound. Edifier makes some good quality speaker the are powered by a electrical cord, but they connect to devices by BT or optical or rca inputs. Bose Soundlink Max may be a bit better than flex.

The larger ones can handle a bit more volume. The Bose Flex seems to hold its quality at 75% of max volume. So, if you can return it easily the flex is worth trying

I have liked the Wonderboom that I bought during Covid. I like its softball size. It is super easy carry or put on a small desk while working The Bose Flex is a great sounding small speaker. I did get a chance to hear recently both the JBL Flip 6 and Sony Ult 1 they both sounded really good . The Soundcore Motion 300 and Glow both sound quite good. The Glow has a 360 sound design similar to the the ue Wonderboom or boom 4. (edited to fix grammar).

Bose Soundlink Flex and SoundLink Max are both good speakers. I heard the JBL flip 6 recently. It did sound good.

I have had a chance to try most of these. I would think the Bose Flex sounds the best. The Ult 1 and JBL both sound good, but the Bose sounds perhaps .5 pts out of 10 points better. David the Cnet editor thought Soundcore 300 was almost as good as the Bose. I tried the Ult 1 recently at Walmart: very nice. It was a good value of sound quality v. price.

Supposedly, the Bose is best at very high volumes. David Carnoy of CNET.com does good speaker reviews. He liked the Bose partially because of accuracy at high volumes. He thought Soundcore 300, JBL flip 6, Tribit (forgot the particular 1) are very good in tier 2. Edit Stormbox Flow above

The UE Wonderboom 4 sounds great with all kinds all kinds of music including classical. The Bose Flex is another really balanced speaker. I have heard the Soundcore 300 sounds good with non bassy music. I just have not tried that at home. David the Cnet editor said soundcore 300 sounds non bass boosted. I bought some headphones based on his recommendations. His sound recommendations were accurate for me. Just have not heard the 300.

I think technically Bose Flex is the absolute best sounding small personal speaker. The JBL Flip 6 is a great sounding speaker. To me, it sounded better than the prior model the Flip 5. I do like speakers with small footprints personally. I do like the Flip and Charges from JBL and the Wonderboom and Boom from UE because of the small footprint.

yeah, can't argue with that. If the budget wasn't an issue, I would've bought the Flex without a second thought.

I saved up and bought the Bose Soundlink Flex.

i ended up buying the bose soundlink flex after saving up a bit

It's a bit more expensive than the others in the segment but totally worth it.

I have 2 of these for a few months now, they sound amazing for the price and look good too. I actually prefer the sound to flip 6, ult field 1, emberton 2 and sound link flex

I use the Bose Soundlink Flex for listening in the shower. It sounds pretty good after setting the bass to -10 and the mids and highs to 4/6. I don't know why all Bluetooth speakers are so bass-oriented it sounds awful

The Bose SoundLink Flex is small, but it puts out a surprisingly decent amount of sound and the bluetooth syncs easily to your device. It's on sale now for $129.

X300 is what I would say without context and my idea of "mini". Bose Soundlink Flex if you can go to what I consider "small". JBL clip if you need something I consider "micro"

Bose Sounlink Flex has been rated as one of the best Bluetooth speakers in its weight class consistently for a hot minute. I would lean towards the Bose if they were the same price and not think twice if it was $50 cheaper and almost 1/2 off the retail price. Also it has AUX in while the pill does not.

How often are you using AUX and when you are, is a medium sized portable Bluetooth speaker really the best solution, or should you be looking at a static 2.1 stereo system? There is no champion of every category but the flex is really solid and go read reviews outside Reddit to double check because the hivemind is real. The Bose sound link max has an aux port but it's $300-400. It's good but that's 2-3x the price and I am curious what use case you have where AUX is that important in situations where a stereo system wouldn't be viable, because there is no contest about which would sound better.

Agreed! I think the Flip 6 is just great value and a really solid all around speaker. I do really like the Soundlink Flex - it sounds excellent.

Last week I compared a JBL charge 5 and Bose sound link flex side by side. Charge 5 was much 'fuller' sounding and made the sound link feel a bit muffled.

From the Roam that I had, I liked how the midrange and highs sounded, but the bass is very weak if I compare it to my SoundLink Flex or the Flip 6, and it loses bass at higher volumes of 60%, which is more noticeable. The other negative thing is the battery life, in my case it only lasted 6 hours at 50% volume. If you want it to last longer, you have to deactivate the microphone and you lose Trueplay and the voice assistant.

Probably your best bet if you dont need to max your budget is something between the bose flex and the soundcore x600. I’ve Read a lot good about the ultimate ears boom but never saw one. Today I’ve actually bought one Sony xb-100: it’s good enough. For indoor is enough powerful for when I’m alone (main use) and for a room with 4/6 people. Only “issue” I had was the sound too thin when i first turned it on. Really too thin. i went on spotify settings and i noticed it had reduced bass EQ, after i put boosted bass it’s great. I like to have a smaller speaker than the JBL flip since most of the times i wouldnt need that and it’s half the size and weight. But it’s a 25€ speaker. I could easily buy another orange one in the future to just swap em when one is low battery or to pair em for stereo. But if I didnt wanted a small speaker to just trash around I would went straight to the x600 imo. Anyway, the best one for 300 is probably the bose max.

Go and blindly buy bose flex

Yes. The low end bass of bose flex is really good. I have a tribit blast. Soundcore motion plus and soundcore x600 too. But bose flex is my favorite in terms of low end bass, warm vocals and highs too. The separation is also the best amongst these. Tribit blast is the most powerful, but i still get the best clear bass on my bose flex. PS: I don't have experience with marshal speakers, so I cannot comment on that

I too listen music at night right before i sleep on my Flex. No negatives there as well. The only drawback with bose flex is that the loudness will not suffice if you want to use it outdoors. But if indoors is your use case, Flex is the best

If portability, durability and sound clarity are your priorities, the SoundLink Flex is an excellent choice

You can go for the beats pill or Bose SoundLink flex on sale or the flex gen 2, Bose SoundLink max if u have the budget, also bass is the worst on Marshall, complete joke for bass.

Bose SoundLink flex 2

It has been a while that no one has posted posted Bose speakers here. Anyways I have finally bought a really good sounding bass Bose portable speaker. I said that because I have the soundlink color 2 and it sounds good but I needed something with better bass response in other songs. So I finally got the revolve + and it sounds amazing and since it’s used I bought for 65 bucks! Such a super deal when these be costing like 200 brand new! For the price I got it I’m very satisfied with the sound quality, bass, and 360 sound. I was impressed that even it was grade C used it was in very good condition even for the price. The only thing it has is a little tiny dent and it’s not even scratched. If y’all searching for a Bose portable speaker I go with the revolve + or the soundlink flex, the color 2 is good but not as bass heavy so I would rather get the soundlink flex.

I was just deciding between JBL Flip 6 and Bose Soundlink Flex and got myself the Bose. I am more than satisfied with my choice. I use it mostly indoors, so I rarely go above 60 % volume, but I tried and it can be really loud too. It has a deep bass and a clean sound and if you prefer different EQ settings, the gen 2 has EQ in app.

I’ve owned the 300, and have a pair of Flex 2s I got on sale. If money is tight, the 300 is a good alternative to the Bose Flex. I also have a pair of Stormbox Micro 2s as well. Paired…they beat a solo 300, but not the Flex. I still love them for sound, portability, and cost.

What speaker do you guys use to blast your favorite wall of noise? I’m using a Bose Soundlink Flex atm and it’s not the worst, but it’s also kind of ass. Anything technical or complex is a muddy mess, and if you have highs and blast beats it clips the audio pretty hard. I’d love some recommendations or just to hear what you’re using and if you like it. I’ve almost bought one of the giant boombox sized ones several times but I really need something that I can get up a wind turbine without much fuss. It sucks that there are a lot of speakers that play popular music quite well so no one is going to market for our niche. EDIT: If anyone comes across this thread looking for recommendations I got a JBL Extreme 4 and it fucks hard. Very good sound quality at all volumes, both on battery and plugged in. Lasts forever, gets extremely loud in any kind of enclosed area. Sounds good in the open as well. I’m no audiophile but if Slice the Cake and The Mars Volta sound good on a speaker imo it has enough dynamic range for basically anything. I also got a JBL Clip 5 to clip on my harness when I won’t be up tower for long and it’s far from perfect but incredibly surprising for the size.

I have a bose flex, dont recon much too it tbh, it's ok for the size but not much better than my bose soundlink micro which I prefer because it has volume lights and is alot smaller

I bought mine in 2018 and it's still my favorite speaker. the Soundlink Max is admittedly better in direct comparison (sounds somehow clearer and more refined) however the Revolve is more convenient in daily life due to is size and shape. It's also superior in settings where you place the speaker somewhere and then move around a lot Weirdly Bose has kinda abandoned the Revolve line even though the Flex series cannot match it (I've compared them too)

I bought a certified refurbished one recently for 100 off Best Buy Canada. I’ve owned Bose soundflex before and tried a few speakers from Jbl, tribit etc. I found Bose to be best in terms of soothing/warm sound. I’ve been testing out x600 all day with a bunch of custom EQ from Reddit. I still haven’t been able to make them sound as warm as Bose since I feel it’s a physical restriction. Soundcore lacks that refined bass. That being said it sure is has a very crisp and balanced sound when playing .ogg files through a BTR 5. About the spatial audio, I was super excited to experience it but it’s mostly a gimmick. Just an additional upward facing driver which makes it sound a bit roomier but it’s not as strong. The speaker with spatial sound off are simply bad. Whereas Bass up just adds unrefined bass.

Yes, relative to the size. Not as good as the flex though.

At that price the best can be anything, do you care about size? Bose flex max if not Sony ult 7 Or a big jbl with wheels up to you

for me its was the best small portable speaker loud and nice

I find the Bose to be most pleasing of anything available in the market and did not hear any distortion when testing it thoroughly - waiting for some discount on this side of the world before I buy it !

I’ve got a Bose Soundlink, worth every penny.

Using an old Bose sound link Bluetooth speaker when I need more sound that the mini provides.

Bose soundlink is a good option. A little out of your price range, but worth checking out IMO.

Yeah, I have the old soundlink and I have no issues with it. I can only imagine the new version is the same if not better.

Flip 6 and Bose SoundLink are both excellent options, but for me personally, after owning both, I’ll go for the Bose. Deeper bass and clarity.

The bose isnt bad at all. There plenty out there that actually sound bad. Also its the only thing i've no latency issues or connection issues. Every jbl i've had has had Bluetooth issues, latency, and broken on me. With bose i've never had a single peice of equipment fail on me since my first acoustimass back in the day

I agree as well. I dont experience any distortion at max volumes. Can vary on audio sample quality as well.

I compared Bose SoundLink, Jbl charge 5, Jbl flip 6, Soundcore Motion X600, Klipsch Nashville and HK luna. I chose Luna from all. The best balanced sound for this price range. I found JBL highs to harsh, bose pretty good but not so open , Klipsch missing any lows, and Soundcore...I liked it but when I listened side by side with Luna...well..I ended up with Luna :)

I have them. They’re cool to show off to your friends right up until the moment that you turn them on. They have zero depth, zero bass, and really aren’t that loud. My Bose SoundLink sounds 1000x better and is much louder. You’ll get better sound from just turning on your stereo and rolling down the windows. I was highly disappointed. I don’t have any connectivity issues like a lot of people. As soon as I drop the gate, it turns on and immediately starts playing music from my phone. I really wouldn’t spend the money unless you hear one in person and decide it’s worth it. Because it’s not.

I love JBL, but BOSE sounds cleaner and better by a fairly large margin.

I have to say that, for as much as I love the Bose speakers I own, battery drain is far more noticeable than with other brands I own. My Bang & Olufsen speakers have the absolute least battery drain while idle; JBL is great for power retention, too.